Cops in shootout, 18 others win Medal of Valor

It began just like any other ordinary traffic stop in North Hollywood.

Just before midnight on July 12, 2005, near Sherman Way and Woodman Avenue, Los Angeles police Officer Humberto Franco pulled over a Nissan with three people inside for driving with high beams on.

Franco saw them trying to hide something - maybe drugs or a weapon, he thought - so he flagged down a passing patrol car for backup.

When the officers ordered the three out of the car, one of the passengers pulled a gun, fired at them and ran into a busy street toward a hotel.

The next few violent minutes led to the death of the gun-wielding suspect and decisive action by Franco and Officers Isaac Moreno and Thomas Appleby that earned them the LAPD's highest honor.

"It's obviously a surprise," said Moreno, between hugs and photographs with family members at the Medal of Valor banquet Wednesday in Hollywood.

"Just from the beginning of being in the department, it's, like, the ultimate award. We're very humbled and honored to receive it."

The trio stood with 18 other LAPD officers who received the medal this year. The award is given to officers who show bravery or heroism in the face of grave danger.

"That's heroism. That's what it's all about, and that's why we're here today," Chief William Bratton said before handing out the medals.

Other recipients this year confronted armed suspects, including seven officers involved in a downtown shootout in March 2005, or rushed into burning vehicles to save trapped motorists.

Officer Joel Flores of the Valley Traffic Division and Detective Steve Chung received medals for dragging a 15-year-old driver with a broken leg to safety in 1997 after the teenager's car hit a power pole on Ventura Boulevard and burst into flames.

In the North Hollywood caper, Moreno and Appleby ran after the 19-year-old armed passenger, Daniel Barragan of Los Angeles.

Barragan tried to carjack a passing motorist, but the officers were closing in too quickly. He fled into a motel parking lot and fired a few shots at Moreno and Appleby.

The officers returned fire, injuring him but not stopping him. He hid behind a building and waited to ambush the officers.

When Barragan popped out to fire at them, Moreno and Appleby shot him until he dropped his weapon and fell to the ground.

Barragan crawled toward his gun and pointed it at them, prompting one last barrage of fire from the officers, they said. He died the next morning.

Investigators later learned that Barragan had been under the influence of several drugs, Moreno said.

"He was just high as a kite," he said, "so the rounds didn't impact him right away."

Moreno, a husband and father of two, said his family was shaken after he called home to talk about the gunfight, but his wife has come to terms with the dangers of his job.

She learned about the incident when he called home from the station in the middle of a grueling post-shooting interview process. Even though the shooting occurred just before midnight, the officers weren't released until after 4:30 p.m. the next day.

Franco said he didn't tell his family about the shooting because none of them lives in Los Angeles.

"I didn't want them getting all worried," said Franco, who added that he's never called in sick in 13 years on the job.

He said he did have people to discuss it with, though: "The family I work with."